


terms and conditions number three

by ProcrastinatingPanda



Series: there's a name i think about at night (it's yours, written in the stars) [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Banter, Chatting & Messaging, Enemies to Friends, Fae Poplar | Opal, Fluff, Friendship, Happy Ending, Kinda sorta maybe, Light Angst, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Miscommunication, Missing Persons, Oblivious, Rated T for swearing, Some Plot, but everything gets sorted out in the end, for like 20 mins at most dw, it's not even really miscommunication, not lovers (yet), not that much I promise, this ended up being kinda dark but it's generally fluff i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27557473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingPanda/pseuds/ProcrastinatingPanda
Summary: [6 unread messages from Hop]hey where are u? - 17:06are you okay - 17:06… - 17:10is something wrong? - 17:13that’s it. i’m coming to find you - 17:18if i die it’s all your fault - 17:18
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Hop, Beet | Bede & Poplar | Opal, Beet | Bede/Hop
Series: there's a name i think about at night (it's yours, written in the stars) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013175
Comments: 6
Kudos: 83





	terms and conditions number three

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not too sure whether I'm happy or not with how this turned out, but I hope you enjoy this anyway!

Hop - The Idiot

What time are you free? - 20:07

??? - 20:07

For our hang out, idiot. - 20:07

OH oh oh ermmmm - 20:08

probably on a sunday? - 20:08

if i don’t suddenly have exams on the monday - 20:08

How does your apprenticeship even work? - 20:08

basically i’m supposed to work for sonia for 2 days a week (tuesdays and wednesdays) and be at school for 3 (mondays thursdays and fridays) - 20:08

but because i really need the scholarship that pays off my tuition fees for university i’m hoping if i work like super hard and get really good results i’ll be more likely to get it - 20:09

which is why i also come in on saturdays and work for sonia - 20:09

That sounds...intense. - 20:09

OH IT IS - 20:10

sometimes i wonder why i bother - 20:10

but i have to remind myself it's for the coin you know - 20:10

I’m going to start looking in the archives of the Ballonlea Gym tomorrow. - 20:10

u sure? - 20:10

u don’t actually have to - 20:10

i can always just look it up myself - 20:11

It’s fine, you idiot. I’m doing it. I just don’t want you treating fairy types less than what they deserve. - 20:11

:D - 20:11

***

Bede tied his hair back, the years making his hair grow longer, and him deciding that he liked his hair long rather than short. He shuffled through the archives in the basement of the gym. Hop didn’t give him much to go off of, with only the knowledge that he wanted to know more about their natures and behaviours, and ‘erm—sort of, everything’. In the Ballonlea archives, there was a newspaper from the eighteenth century with the headline ‘Professor Sakura Accused of Biased Scientific Misconduct Amidst 18th Pokémon Type Warzone’.

Bede shrugged. It seemed useful enough. Placing it on top of the pile with the other papers he thought would be useful, he began shuffling through again. Hop would probably want something to do with the origins of fairy types, so maybe something on Flabébés or Sylveons? Maybe some statistics on spawn rates?

“Bede?”

“Arceus—” Bede jumped, facing Theodora, one of the trainers at the Ballonlea gym, with a puzzled look on her face. “Did you really have to scare me like that?”

The trainers at the Ballonlea gym, triplets Theodora, Teresa, and Annette, were originally cold to him, considering all of the things he did during his gym challenge. But, over the past two years, they had considerably warmed up to him, and now, though Bede wouldn’t ever admit it out loud, they were more like annoying sisters who were somehow always there when he needed them, but also there when he didn’t want them.

“Sorry, sorry,” Thea smiled. Bede found her to be the least intrusive of the three, and therefore the least annoying. “I just—wasn’t expecting you here. Shouldn’t you be in your office?”

“I can be wherever I want to be,” Bede huffed, shuffling the papers he had collected and facing them downwards. He doesn’t want Thea, of all people, to start probing around where she shouldn’t. “What are you doing here?”

“Just putting away some of the old video tapes from last season’s Champion Cup.”

“In which Victor won without any competition whatsoever,” Bede rolled his eyes. “Does anyone know where he even came from? He just appeared out of nowhere, knocked Leon off his throne, and now everyone is suffering from the consequences.”

Thea hummed, turning away from him to look through the taped videos section. Why did they still tape videos? “Well, him and the chairman’s brother are friends, right? They must have picked up some stuff from Leon.”

“Said chairman's brother is called Hop," Bede placed the papers he’d found in the folder that he bought specifically for this occasion. It was pink, with swirls of blue and purple decorating it. Bede thought it looked rather pretty. "And no one could get that good just from watching a bunch of battles."

“Maybe,” Thea replied noncomittedly. Bede liked that about her. She wasn’t eager to carry on a conversation for longer than necessary. “I’m heading back upstairs. Dinner should be ready in half an hour.”

“What are we having?”

“Curry.”

“Typical.”

***

Hop - The Idiot

[Hop sent a picture] - 12:38

these two reminded me of you!!! - 12:39

...Are those Glameow and Purugly? - 12:39

yes!!! - 12:39

i’m studying the characteristics of feline pokemon rn - 12:39

So, shouldn’t you be working right now? - 12:39

dw i’m on my break - 12:39

not slacking off haha - 12:39

soooooo how’s your day going- 12:41

Why do you want to know? - 12:41

oh come on - 12:41

indulge me a little - 12:41

Fine. - 12:42

:D - 12:42

I was watching a video of one of my last battles. The challenger had a team of poison and steel types, and now I’m figuring out battle tactics against some of the moves. - 12:42

i think i actually remember that - 12:42

from last year right - 12:43

Yes. - 12:43

they were pretty tough - 12:43

made it all the way to the semis and everything - 12:43

idk how i feel about them always switching their entire team based on type advantages though - 12:43

Wasn’t that exactly what you did? - 12:44

i didn’t switch my entire team just to be super effective against one gym leader! - 12:44

that's just lame - 12:44

the challenger didn’t even stand a chance once their opponents in the champion cup had more variation on their team anyway - 12:44

Well, there will be more challengers like that in the future, so I have to prepare myself for when that happens. - 12:44

damn - 12:45

i honestly could not be a gym leader - 12:45

you guys do the most! - 12:45

You make it sound like your job is any easier. Being a researcher is a very respected profession. - 12:45

haha thanks! - 12:45

***

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of your time on your phone, recently.”

“No, I haven’t,” Bede locked his phone, turning to see who was at the door. Annette stood at the door. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing?” Annette leaned against the doorframe, “Deflection is a common strategy used by liars. Let’s take this back to you, kid. What are you doing?”

“In case you haven’t noticed for the last two years, I happen to have the misfortune of working here with you.” 

Annette was the youngest of the three triplet trainers, and in Bede’s opinion, the most annoying. She was rambunctious, occasionally neglecting to do her trainer duties in favour of window shopping in the boutique shops of Hammerlock. But she was the most perceptive of the three, and could tell when Bede was joking around, or actually needed her to go away. Most people couldn’t tell the difference, so she wasn’t so bad. 

Annette smirked, crossing her arms. “You can’t get away from this that easily. Who’s the girl?”

“None of your business,” Bede swept away a stray strand of hair that wasn’t long enough for him to tie it back.

“Is it the Spikemuth gym leader? Oh, what’s her name? Marnie? Yeah, that’s it.” Annette touched her chin with her finger, pretending to be in thought. “I like her. She’d be good for you.”

“That’s awfully heteronormative of you,” Bede muttered underneath his breath, pointedly setting his phone away from Annette’s line of sight and going back to his reports on the next season. 

Annette blinked in surprise, before grinning, not unlike a certain texting buddy. “Fair enough. That was bad on my part. Who’s the guy, then?”

“None of your business, Annie. What do you want?”

“Deflection, again. So, you do play for the other side,” Annette walked into his office, which he should shout at her for, but in that moment was too flustered to say anything. “Hey, no judgement from me. You know for a fact I play for both teams.”

“Shut up, don’t assume things,”

“But, I am right though, aren’t I?” Annette leaned over his desk so she was close to his face, hands pressed onto the table and messing up his neatly arranged pile of reports. “I am! Oh, you’re blushing and everything—”

Bede pushed her away from him. “Does no one around here understand the concept of personal space? Mind your own business!”

Annette laughed, the lunatic, “Alright, but I will find out who he is one way or the other!”

Bede huffed, shuffling the papers on his desk so they were a neat pile again. He’ll have to be careful with texting Hop around other people. Arceus knows what they’ll do once they grab their hands on him.

***

Hop - The Idiot

we’re still meeting up for tomorrow right? - 21:18

Yes. You better not be late. - 21:18

oh come on - 21:19

give me a bit of credit! - 21:19

tomorrow at 5pm right? - 21:19

Where are we meeting? - 21:20

entrance of glimwood tangle - 21:20

ikkkkkkk we’ve been over this already - 21:20

Just making sure you weren’t going to get lost. Arceus knows you can be forgetful. How many times did you forget to eat in the past 2 weeks? - 21:21

i just forget sometimes okkkkkk it’s not my faulttttt - 21:21

How does someone even forget a basic human necessity? - 21:21

idk it just happens?? like occasionally??? - 21:21

how can i literally hear you sighing on the other side rn - 21:22

Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because any other reasonable human being would be exasperated by the knowledge that people can forget to eat food?  How are you still alive? - 21:22

honestly i ask myself the same question - 21:22

You’re impossible. You know that? - 21:22

when people say impossible they generally mean improbable - 21:23

***

This was going to go off without a hitch.

He’d planned this out perfectly. It takes about twenty minutes for Bede to walk from Ballonlea to the other side of the forest, arriving at the entrance ten minutes earlier than what they agreed upon, just in case Hop arrived early out of spite. The three trainers were off doing their own thing, Teresa off to the Poké Mart to buy essentials and potions for the gym, Theodora training with her Gardevoir and Morgrem, wanting to evolve her Morgrem into a Grimmsnarl, and who knew what Annette was off doing, but he knew she wouldn’t ruin his plans.

Pressing the bulky, pastel pink folder to his chest (Hop better be grateful for all the work he did for him), he closed the door of his office shut. He was going to use the side entrance—the one that hardly anyone ever uses—to ensure the maximum chance of him sneaking out without getting caught. Rushing down the stairs, he arrived at the corridor. The corridor was empty. The side door was at the very end of it. This is good. His plan was going to work. He reached towards the door knob. His plan was going to work, and no one would ask him any questions about where he’s going, or even worse, who he’s meeting—

“Well, where would you be off to, my child?”

What the actual fuck.

Bede spinned around, facing the one and only, Opal. Why was she even here? The corridor was empty. He knows her schedule off by heart. Every day, at half past four, she would be in the middle of having tea, creating plotlines for one of her multitude of plays. Opal was supposed to be the easiest to avoid. She should be far away from the other side of the gym right now. How did she even get here so fast? None of this makes any sense!

“Well?” Opal eyed him suspiciously, “What’s my successor doing holding that big folder and using the side door that no one ever uses? I do like the shade of purple on that folder you’ve got there though.”

“None of your business, you old Crobat.” Bede found his composure, holding the pink folder behind him with some difficulty. “Why are you even here anyway? Shouldn’t you be going off to have your herbal teas, or whatever.”

Opal ignored him, using her umbrella to point at the pastel folder Bede has behind him. “That looks quite heavy. Where could you possibly be off to with that?”

“I said, none of your business,” He snapped, hoping the heat in his cheeks was just an illusion. “Why is everyone in this place so damn nosy?” 

“Annette said you’d been on your phone a lot more than usual—apparently with another boy?”

“She’s lying, and what has that got to do with anything—”

“And then Theodora told me you have been in the archives a lot recently,” Opal had the audacity to look smug, the wicked woman. “Now, why would my successor be spending time in the basement of the gym, looking through old newspapers?”

For a ninety year old woman, she was way too perceptive for her own good. What was she? Some kind of fae creature? “Maybe I just don’t have anything else better to do in this place.”

“You do have a meeting with the other gym leaders in four days time,” For the love of Arceus, how does she actually know everything— “And yet you’re collecting information about the behaviours and statistics of fairy types.”

Bede widened his eyes. “How do you know that?” 

Opal grinned, and oh, Bede was so screwed—

“It doesn’t matter! I’m going out, and you can’t do anything to stop me.” Bede snapped, repositioning the pink folder so it was pressed close—as close as he could possibly get so that the old woman couldn’t possibly try to look through. Maybe she even had x-ray vision, or some other secret superpower he doesn’t know. He turned the door knob, swinging the door open. He turned to face Opal again. “And, most importantly. Don’t. Follow. Me.”

He slammed the door behind him. Finally, he could set off. He had wasted a bit of time, but he could get to the entrance of Glimwood Tangle before Hop if he walks fast enough. After spending the last two years walking through it, he is certain he’s familiar with the tricks of the forest. 

“Have fun with the chairman’s brother.” 

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

Swinging the door open, Bede was about to shout at his predecessor, but the woman had just...vanished. 

“I’m too tired for this,” Bede massaged his temple, kicking the door closed.

***

Hop - The Idiot 

I think I need psychiatric help - 16:34

??? - 16:34

dude u good??? - 16:34

I think I’m suffering from serious hallucinations - 16:34

Maybe it’s mania - 16:34

Or schizophrenia - 16:35

??? - 16:35

explain - 16:35

Opal appeared out of nowhere - 16:35

Emphasis on nowhere - 16:35

And started interrogating me on my way out - 16:36

ohhhhhhh haha you probably just didn’t notice her - 16:36

What did I just say about the emphasis on nowhere you idiot - 16:36

I mean she *literally* appeared out of nowhere - 16:36

i don’t think you’re suffering from hallucinations - 16:36

Ughhhhhhh you’re not getting it - 16:37

i think this is the first time you’ve ever texted without perfect punctuation - 16:37

it’s kinda weird - 16:37

Because I’m freaking out you idiot!!! - 16:37

You know what - 16:37

It’s easier if I explain it to you in person - 16:38

Speaking of which, have you set off yet? - 16:38

i’ve just called a taxi! - 16:38

should be arriving soon - 16:38

Okay. Good. I’ll see you there. - 16:39

see ya!!! - 16:39

***

Bede loved Glimwood Tangle.

There was a particular reason why Bede wanted to meet up at the time when the sun was setting rather than in the morning. There was a certain atmosphere about walking through Glimwood Tangle in the evenings, only the glow of the mushrooms and the feeling of walking on the mossy grass that paved the forest, and sometimes the presence of elusive Pokémon to keep him company. No humans. No stress. No emotions or thoughts to keep him from relaxing. 

He wanted Hop to see the beauty of this forest too.

Bede faltered in his steps. Since when did he want to share things with others? Since when did he waste his time looking over documents he had no real interest in? Shouldn’t he be doing something more productive with his time, like training his Pokémon, or going over his own documents to do with his upcoming gym battles, or watching his previous battles? Wasn’t it only two weeks ago when he felt nothing but disdain towards the hot-headed boy, who idolised the previous champion more than anyone he’s ever met? Hop was merely an acquaintance. Why should he go through this much effort?

There was a purple-green light. Bede started walking towards it. He heard a vague thud. It was probably just his imagination. He pressed on. 

Was he becoming too comfortable? Hop had accepted his apology, barely. It took a while to repair the rift between him and the Stow-on-Side gym leaders, after the mural incident, only forming a relationship of mutual respect because they were colleagues. Just because Hop accepted his apology, doesn’t necessarily mean that he forgave Bede, or meant that they were suddenly friends. Text messages mean nothing. Once they started having a proper conversation, one that wasn’t online, Hop will realise that all his negative qualities didn’t cancel out his good ones. He was too abrasive, too insensitive, too apathetic. Hop would leave, just like everyone else did.

Bede stopped in his tracks. He glanced around. Where was he again?

He wasn’t lost. He couldn’t be lost. Bede had been walking on the same track for two years now—there’s no way he could possibly get lost. But, as he looked around, all of the luminescent mushrooms and thick trees and mossy grass starting to looking the same, Bede had to admit it. He was lost.

There was no signal in Glimwood Tangle, with the exception of Ballonlea. The tree leaves were big, and dense, so there was no chance of a passing Corviknight taxi driver finding him by chance. Bede yawned, sitting down and slumping against one of the trees. This was how he died. From being an absolute idiot from thinking about one boy too much. How pathetic. How did he even get lost in the first place?

Blinking drearily, he looked down to see something. It was small...and white...and it flickered…and seemed to cover almost the entire area. Even in the air. Spores? Maybe. Which Pokémon in Glimwood Tangle released spores now? Oh, that’s right. Shiinotic. They...emitted light. Made people...lose their way...in the forest. That...that made sense. What was the other thing they did again? Oh, they released spores. Spores? Didn’t they...make people...suffer...from...drowsiness...

***

Hop - The Idiot

[6 unread messages from Hop]

hey where are u? - 17:06

are you okay - 17:06

… - 17:10

is something wrong? - 17:13

that’s it. i’m coming to find you - 17:18

if i die it’s all your fault - 17:18

***

Hop hated Glimwood Tangle.

Glimwood Tangle in the evenings were awful, only a hair less creepy than walking through the forest at night on your own. Hop didn’t want to be anywhere near creepy glowing mushrooms, weirdly soft grass that feels like if he took a step in the wrong place, he’ll fall into a pit and die. The worst was the— _things_ —that always seemed to bore their eyes into the back of his head, completely opposite of the wild Pokémon in the tall grass. No. These eyes were always watching, following your every movement. Maybe it's some kind of Pokémon, or maybe a mythical fae-like creature, or an assassin ready to pounce at him, slitting his throat in a clean, smooth motion, immaculately disposing his body, leaving his corpse to decompose and never to be found.

But, Hop wasn’t scared. He hated Glimwood Tangle with a seething passion, but he wasn’t scared. Definitely not.

Something snapped. Hop jumped. Oh, it was just a twig he stepped on. It’s fine. No secret assassins here.

Hop looked around, luminescent mushrooms shining eerily at him. He liked to think he was more competent than Lee when it came to directions, but in a maze-like forest like this, he needed something to help. He doesn’t know what happened, and he knew Bede could handle himself if there was any trouble, but worrying was in his nature, and he was going to find his friend, even if he had to fist-fight a crazy assassin to do it.

He scratched his head. During his gym challenge, he stumbled upon Ballonlea purely by luck, and that was a relatively large town at the heart of the forest. Bede was just a person, who could be anywhere. He needed something—like a clue. Like in one of those detective stories. But, a clue is harder to find than an actual person. Maybe Hop should have just gone home. Bede was probably still in Ballonlea, having decided that Hop wasn’t worth the effort.

Hop shook his head. No. Bede was annoying, sometimes egotistical, but he wasn’t cruel. The two weeks of messages proved that. Bede wouldn’t be—wasn’t—the type of person to back out from an agreement. He must have found himself into some sort of trouble, and Hop is going to find him at whatever cost.

If he can figure his way around this stupid forest first.

Perhaps it was foolish on his part to rush in without a plan. He should have called someone, maybe Victor, so they could stick together, not just because this place was creepy as hell. There wasn’t even any signal in Glimwood Tangle either. This was quickly becoming a two missing persons case rather than the one.

His feet hit something. That didn’t feel like a root of a tree. He looked down. Was that some kind of folder?

It looked simple enough, a pastel pink with some cute blue and purple swirls. It was rather bulky too. Maybe Hop should take it with him, in case someone desperately needed it. Once he found Bede, he could hand it over at the Pokémon Centre. For now, he needed to keep walking. Hop tucked the pink folder underneath his arm, and resumed his trek. 

Was there any way he could try and find Bede faster? What if he was just really, really late, and now was standing outside the entrance like they had promised. Oh, Arceus. Was Bede just alone at the entrance of Glimwood Tangle, a pained scowl on this face—oh, this was bad. Hop would never forgive himself if he had stood up Bede. What if Bede had gone looking for him in Glimwood Tangle, and they were both chasing around each other, like cat and mouse? 

Hop paced around in circles. This was bad. This was very, very bad. Bede was so right when he said about Hop having a one-track mind two weeks ago in the lift. He could try and find his way back to the entrance again, but what if he got more lost? What about Bede who might be in the forest looking for him? What if Bede was actually in trouble, an assassin capturing him, and Hop just walked away with no one to even find his body—

His Pokémon. Of course! He touched Zacian’s Pokéball. Hop wasn’t too sure how legendaries worked, but if they could stop Eternatus and the Darkest Day twice, then Zacian could surely help him find Bede.

“Okay, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I really need your help.” Hop whispered to the Master Ball in his hands, throwing it at the perfect angle he’s mastered over the years. A bright light erupted, and Zacian appeared in front of him.

“Okay, I know I don’t usually send you out,” Hop knelt in front of the Wolf Pokémon, placing the pink folder on the ground between them. “But, basically, me and another person—my friend, you could say—arranged to meet up, but they didn’t turn up after a while, so I rushed in this creepy forest—like an idiot—without thinking things through, and—are you even listening to me?”

Zacian eyed at the pastel pink folder in front of them. “Oh, this?” Hop picked it up. “I found it lying on the ground. I think someone might have dropped it.” Zacian nudged at the folder with their snout. 

“What?” Hop furrowed his eyebrows, opening the folder. “I don’t know whose it is.”

Hop glanced down at the first page. There was a newspaper report from apparently the eighteenth century, boldly titled ‘Professor Sakura Accused of Biased Scientific Misconduct Amidst 18th Pokémon Type Warzone’. He flicked through the folder. Statistics on the spawn rates of fairy types. The very first sightings of Flabébés in the Kalos region. Various different MRI and CT scans of fairy types and what the scans look like when they feel different emotions, and another study on their behaviours towards other types. The pastel pink and blues of the folder like the colours of the Ballonlea gym. The plethora of information of fairy types in said folder. The missing said Ballonlea gym’s leader.

“Oh, my Arceus,” Hop slowly closed the folder. “I am an idiot.” 

Hop shook his head, presenting the folder to the legendary Pokémon. He hasn’t got the time to think about how much of an idiot he was. That can happen later. “Zacian, I need you to find another scent on here. One that isn’t mine. I’ve been holding it for a while, but my friend should have had it for the last two weeks.”

Zacian had a look of determination in their eyes, tracking the scent on the folder. They moved away, sniffing elsewhere in the forest, tracking for the same scent, Hop trailing behind him. Arceus, at least let one thing go right this time. 

Zacian perked up, and looked at Hop. “This way?” Hop looked forward. There was some sort of weird light, purples and greens in the distance. Shiinotics were particularly notorious for emitting a light deep inside forests that made travellers lose their way. They then release flickering spores that make their prey drowsy, then draining the vitality of their prey from their fingertips—oh, dear Arceus, this day just keeps getting worse for him.

But, if Bede’s scent led them to a potential pack of Shiinotic, then that can’t mean good news. At least he was right to not turn back to the entrance. If they wanted to move forward though, they’d have to get past the Shiinotic first. 

“I don’t want to head directly into battle with the Shiinotic,” Hop said to Zacian, running his hand through soft blue fur. “Our mission—get Bede, and get out.”

Zacian gave a nod, which Hop took as a sign of agreement. The light wasn’t an issue. Zacian could lead them back out again. Now, how to get around the spores? 

Hop took off his jacket, Zacian looking up at him with a puzzled look. He tied the sleeves behind his head, knotting it twice to be safe. “I’m not sure if this is even going to work,” Hop adjusted it so the fabric covered his nose and mouth. “But, this is the best shot we’ve got. Are you ready?” Zacian nodded. “Take us to him, please.”

Running blindly towards the light was generally a bad idea, but Hop was somewhat eager to get him and Bede out of this forest, and with Zacian by his side, he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel somewhat invincible. 

There was a rustling to the right side of Hop, white flickers all over the forest. “Zacian, you stay here, and look after this folder. I’m going to need you to get back out again, and I can’t do that if you fall asleep.”

Zacian nodded in understanding hovering over the folder Hop placed on the ground. Hop smiled, though realised his Pokémon couldn’t see through his make-shift mask.

“I’ll be right back, don't worry.” And with that, Hop ran into the Shiinotic spores.

After this, there was less chance of Hop coming back to this forest than the Darkest Day happening again. He’s never letting Bede live this one down. Bring it up constantly in their conversations with other people, change his name to ‘Damsel in Distress’ on his phone—oh, that’s not actually a bad idea. Now, just where is the princess?

Hop came to a clearing, where the fog was the thickest and there were flickering spores everywhere in the air and on the grass. He pressed his hand to the fabric that covered his nose. His eye caught a flash of magenta. Oh, thank Arceus.

Since their gym challenge, Bede’s hair had gotten longer, opting to tie it in a low pony-tail that always reminded him of Galarian Rapidash whenever he saw Bede on screen or in photoshoots. It made him kind of jealous that Bede could pull off any fashion choice he made. But, this time, his hair was down, platinum blond hair sprawling out on the grass beside his head, sleeping so soundly, anyone else would think he’d just taken a nap. It seemed like he was just suffering from drowsiness—nothing a potion from the Pokémon Centre couldn’t fix.

“Alright, come on, Sleeping Beauty,” He picked Bede up in his arms, adjusting him so his head was on Hop’s shoulder. “Now, we’ve just got to get out.”

Walking the direction he came, Hop couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The spores and the fog were getting less dense as he walked, but something didn’t feel right. He felt lightheaded, his breathing quick, which was weird. He hadn’t even been walking that much. Maybe the spores were clouding his senses.

In his dazed state, a pack of Shiinotic pounced out of the bushes at him. Hop jumped away. The Shiinotic blocked the direction he came from. He doesn’t want to fight the Shiinotic. The spores in the air meant that even if he did send one of his Pokémon out, they would fall asleep almost instantly anyway. What should he do? The Shiinotic started to glow. Were they about to release more spores? He has to do something— 

A blue figure jumped in front of him and Bede, scaring away the Shiinotic. The pack disappeared into the bushes. Hopefully, he won't have to encounter them again. “Zacian!” Hop walked up to him. “Are you okay? You’re not affected by the spores?”

Zacian shook their head, pink folder in his mouth. Those teeth had to have made dents in the folder—he’ll deal with the consequences later.

“Do you think you could take us back to Ballonlea?” Zacian pressed his snout at Bede’s arm, then doing the same to the ground. Hop still felt faint. He tried to catch his breath. He couldn’t understand why his heart was racing so quickly. Maybe he just needed a break.

***

Bede woke up, wincing at the sun hitting his eyes. He never usually slept in this early, though, yesterday him and Hop did meet up, which must have drained his energy.

Wait.

Bede sat up. Why doesn’t he remember meeting up with Hop yesterday? What happened after he met up? He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday when he snuck out and that old Crobat showed up out of nowhere. His phone was sat on his bedside table. He checked his phone. Six unread messages from Hop. He glanced through them. What the heck happened last night? Throwing off his covers, he opened the door, only to find Teresa, holding a tray full of breakfast.

“Where’s Hop?” He demanded, crossing his arms.

“Nice to see you’re alive,” Tessa raised an eyebrow, pushing him aside, placing the tray on his bedside table.

“You haven’t answered my question. Where’s Hop?”

“Not here. Opal said you needed to rest. Get back in bed.”

“I don’t care. I feel just fine. Now take me to him, or I’ll go look for him myself.”

Tessa rolled her eyes, sitting on his bed. “Apparently, you ran into some Shiinotic whilst you were walking through the forest. The light made you lose your way, and you ended up becoming drowsy from their spores.”

“And? What about Hop?” Bede snapped, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Oh, you should have seen him carrying you back to Ballonlea.” Tessa smirked, “The knight in shining armour rescuing the dainty princess. He must have some pretty strong arms to carry you bridal style like that.”

Bede felt himself flush bright red. “If you find him that attractive, you should just sleep with him.”

“First off, no. He’s a minor. Second, are you sure out of the two of us I’m the one that wants to sleep with him—”

“Just tell me where he is, damn it!” Bede scowled, not wanting to spend another second with the woman.

Tessa’s face fell. “Bede,” She started, “I don’t want you to panic—”

“Oh, because after every time someone’s said those words I feel completely calm and stress-free!”

“Bede,” Tessa restarted. “After he carried you back to Ballonlea, he just, sort of, collapsed. He lost his consciousness, and he’s in the Pokémon Centre—Bede! Wait!” 

Bede had already taken off, not bothering to grab his coat as he rushed out. Collapsed? What the hell did she mean by collapsed? Bigger cities, like Wyndon and Hammerlock, have separate hospitals, but for a smaller place, like Ballonlea, there was just a section of the Pokémon Centre for human injuries, generally for emergencies. If he had to go to the Pokémon Centre, then that meant—oh, he couldn’t bloody think straight! Bede couldn’t have gotten to the Pokémon Centre faster. Poor Nurse Joy jumped as Bede slammed his hands on the counter.

“I’m looking for a Hop Woodrow. Tell me where he is.” Bede was way too aggressive, but he didn’t care.

“He—he should be—just down the corridor and—and to the right—room number eleven—”

It was probably against some kind of protocol to run in hospitals, but that was the least of his concerns. Room number eleven. Room number eleven. There!

Bede swung the door open, not bothering to knock, locking eyes with Hop on the hospital bed, monitors and IV drips attached to him.

“Ah, the damsel in distress!” Hop beamed, which was absolutely ridiculous. How could he smile like that when he’s been through a medical emergency? “I’m glad to know that my suffering wasn’t for nothing,”

Bede shut the door, walking closer to the hospital bed. He didn’t see any casts, so it mustn’t have been a physical injury. “What—what happened to you?”

“It’s actually quite funny, if you look at it a certain way,” Hop laughed. “So, you know how the Shiinotic spores made people drowsy, right?”

“Yeah,” Bede sat down in the hospital chair tentatively.

“Well, it turns out when you have a major allergy to flickering spores, and you go through a really dense area of said spores, that’s not exactly great.” Hop ran his hand through his hair. “Long story short, as soon as I got to Ballonlea, I went into anaphylactic shock, and apparently that’s classed as an medical emergency here in Ballonlea, so now I’m here.”

Bede gaped at him. “You what?”

“I went into anaphylactic shock,” Hop beamed. “They have to burn all of my clothes in case there are any remaining spores left, but at least the jacket wasn’t my favourite blue one. Oh! I read through your folder. Thanks for that—I found some really useful information—”

“What the hell were you thinking?” Bede shouted, standing up from his chair.

“I’m, like, ninety percent sure you’re not supposed to scream at patients—”

“You could have died,” Bede ignored him. “You could have died, and I would have forever had that on my conscience!”

“It wasn’t as if I knew I was majorly allergic to Shiinotic spores,” Hop raised his hands to the side of his head. “If I did, I would have come better prepared.”

“You don’t get it,” Bede hissed, leaning in closer to Hop. “If this happened again in the future, and you had to run through a cloud of flickering spores to get to me, you’d do it, wouldn’t you?"

“Err, yeah,” Hop looked at him weirdly, as if Bede was the one not making any sense. He even had the audacity to say that without hesitation. “If I can survive it once, I can probably survive it again.”

“No, you idiot,” Bede gritted his teeth. “If I, or anyone for that matter, needs help, you turn around, and you get someone else—”

“We don’t know what happens to people when they spend prolonged periods of time exposed to chemicals that cause drowsing.” Hop steeled his gaze. “If you think I didn’t once think about turning back to get help, then you’re wrong. You know why I didn’t? Because I was scared about what might happen to you. Because you’re my friend, Bede. So, don’t talk to me about recklessness, when we both know you would have done the same for me.”

Bede slowly sat back down. Hop didn’t once take his eyes off Bede’s. He doesn’t know if he wanted to look away. “This once.” He started. “I’ll allow it, this one time. But, if you ever try and pull a stunt like that again—”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. There will be repercussions.” Hop smiled, breaking the eye contact and laying his head back down on the pillow. “You think Lee hasn’t already screamed at me about it? I get it. Trust me.”

Bede exhaled shakily. “You're impossible, you know that?”

Hop smiled, closing his eyes. "When people say impossible, they generally mean improbable."

Now that Bede's anger was slowly fading away, he became nervous. He played with the hem of his shirt. “You—you think I’m your friend?”

Hop turned to face him, raising his eyebrow. “Dude, are you seriously asking me that after everything I went through for you?”

“I—I just—didn’t know where we stood—”

“I have two weeks worth of receipts to show you, if you want.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out Hop was talking about their frequent text messages. “Well, if you couldn’t read in between the lines, I guess I can just say it loud and clear now. We’re friends. Not ifs or buts.”

Wasn’t it ironic, that his greatest enemy from his Gym Challenge was now one of his first friends. He smiled. “Okay,”

“Now, pass us that folder there. Love the colours, by the way. Very fitting.” Hop gestured in the direction where the pink folder was at. “I’ve flipped through it, and skim read it a bit, but I’m going to need a bit more explanation.”

“What about your work?” Bede grabbed the folder laying beside the hospital bed.

“Sonia’s given me the week off, and I’m off school too, which is going to be a pain to catch up the material next week.”

Bede inspected the folder. It was his, but there were a few dents, small, but deep, in the folder that wasn’t there before. “Are these—are these teeth—”

“I found it like that,” Hop replied quickly. “I think it might have been Morgrem’s fangs.”

“Morgrem’s fangs?” Bede turned the folder over, to reveal another set of small dents, as if an animal had had it in its mouth and bit it. “I don’t think Morgrem has this many teeth? It’s like some kind of wolf tried to eat it.”

Hop glanced at him, then started laughing. “Wolves? In Glimwood Tangle? No way, Bede. Anyway, with that newspaper article.”

Bede was reminded of Annette’s words. Deflection is a common strategy used by liars. He doesn’t know why Hop needed to lie, but he wasn’t going to push it. He’ll find out eventually. They were friends, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up in a completely different direction than I had originally anticipated, but I hope it was still fun for you nonetheless! I'm thinking about potentially a Part 3?


End file.
